Saturday, 15 March 2014

In contrast to some rather mild and enjoyable weather here, it's a cold day in the world of Sakura Trick this week... cold enough for snow, in fact.

This unexpected meteorological arrival fills Haruka with excitement - a little too much excitement perhaps, leading her to suggest that maybe they should eat their lunch outdoors. Rather more sensibly, the rest of the group dismiss the idea without a second thought... all, that is, except for Shizuka, who also seems sold on the idea. At least, she is until they actually start trying to eat in the freezing cold, but even at this point Haruka refuses to budge - indeed, after talking with Shizuka a little and remembering her situation with Kotone, she becomes all the more determined to drag the others out there with them, even if it's for a snowball fight rather than food. Speaking of snowballs, a throwaway suggest from Kaede to Mitsuki that Haruka and her sister might be dating could itself snowball into an avalanche if she takes the suggestion seriously.

Moving into the second half of the episode, there's a little concern about Kaede's behaviour as she doesn't seem to be her usual self (after tackling Mitsuki about her sister's relationship, unbeknownst to the others) - not that this lasts long, as she soon rolls out some practical jokes against Haruka. In fact, the joke is on Haruka throughout here, as her attempts at using a skipping rope end in disaster, before her promise to clear up after the class ends with her locked in the gym storage room. You know, I'd love to see some research on how many Japanese teenagers have really been accidentally locked in school storage rooms...

Having recovered from a mid-series slump, Sakura Trick now seems to be in a place where it can just let its characters do their thing and it broadly works - even when it isn't at its funniest its pleasant and reasonably enjoyable to watch, and its character interactions are solid enough to keep things ticking over. I'm curious to see whether the show ends with some drama surrounding "outing" Haruka and Yuu's relationship, but even if it doesn't this remains a fun little series.